


say yes

by angstonly, angstroyalty



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstonly/pseuds/angstonly, https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstroyalty/pseuds/angstroyalty
Summary: Jisung gulps. It's a volatile situation—one that has no clear answer or best case scenario. Seungmin will be enraged regardless of what he chooses to do. So he decides to tell him. Maybe the walk would somewhat cool him down and dissipate his anger even just a tiny bit.“So, uh, the fire department is here and—”Jisung doesn't get to finish his sentence. The line clicks dead, and he braces himself for Seungmin’s arrival.Jisung sends a quick text to Felix saying,min’s about to kill me pls submit my hw for me tomorrow.(or: the five times jisung does something stupid and the one time seungmin does)
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 26
Kudos: 208
Collections: Jilix Ficfest





	say yes

**Author's Note:**

> this was so much fun to write! i adapted the prompt a little bit, but i hope that my prompter enjoys this.
> 
>  **PROMPT #14** : “How good of a mood are you in right now?”
> 
> Seungmin: “... What did you do?”
> 
> In which Jisung is always doing crazy stuff and Seungmin can't deal with him anymore (but when Jisung stops he realizes he misses it and oh... shit)

— :: i.

Jisung stares at the ground, eyes fixed on a piece of lint stuck on the carpet, arms held up beside his head. He's on his knees in Seungmin's living room, pouting as he submits himself to self-imposed punishment. Seungmin stands in front of him, arms folded against his chest, puppy-like smile nowhere to be found.

"Will you _please_ just get the fuck up?" Seungmin breaks the silence, fingers rubbing at his temples as he paces back and forth in front of him. "I just—I honestly—"

"Yell at me!" Jisung shouts theatrically, shifting so that his back is straight and his arms are high above his head. "I fucked up! I know I fucked up! Please yell at me, Min! Please!"

"I—" Seungmin looks like he's ready to scream at him, and Jisung wishes that he just would. He doesn't, though. Instead, Seungmin's fingers curl into his palms and he shakes his head, cutting himself off before he could get another word out.

Jisung's bottom lip juts out as he raises his gaze to meet Seungmin's, who stares at him with a resigned look on his face before kneeling as well. He pulls Jisung's arms down and takes his face in his hands, looking him straight in the eye. Jisung could melt under the weight of Seungmin's stare, but he holds himself together to brace himself for the scolding he's about to receive.

It never comes.

Instead, the door swings open and in come Felix and Hyunjin, blissfully unaware of what they've walked in on. They halt in their tracks as soon as they see the two on the floor, mouths hanging mid-conversation. Jisung would laugh if he didn't _just_ royally fuck up.

"Should we, uh," Hyunjin says after clearing his throat, "come back or something? Are we interrupting?"

"I think we should leave." Felix quickly tugs at Hyunjin's hand and turns back towards the front door.

"No, it's okay!" Seungmin calls out to them as he rises to his feet and dusts himself off, sparing Jisung another glance and motioning for him to stand as well. "Just a little bit of a hiccup," he says once the other two come back to the living room. "Jisung doesn't know how to do laundry, and he had to learn the hard way that some things—" Seungmin flashes Jisung an empty smile that sends a shiver down his spine. "—are not meant for machines."

"Oh my God," they chorus, turning to Jisung who has maintained his place kneeling on Seungmin's carpet. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Fail miserably," Jisung sighs, holding his head in his hands.

"So nothing new—ow!" Hyunjin grimaces as he rubs the spot where Felix elbows him. "Hey, I speak the truth!"

"Okay, I have to go," Seungmin interrupts, an unreadable expression on his face. Jisung knows he's upset, but he still does his best not to show it. Seungmin is far more patient with him than he'd like, and sometimes he wishes Seungmin would just voice it out instead of letting it go like he always does.

"I'll clean up, I promise," Jisung calls after him.

"No, just leave it," Seungmin says before closing the door behind him. "I'll be home in a couple of hours."

Jisung finally stands, frowning as Felix and Hyunjin stare at him. He sighs once more, running a hand through his hair, infuriated by his own ineptitude. It's so simple, so absolutely basic, yet he still manages to do everything wrong.

"Seriously, what did you do?" It's Felix who breaks the silence, walking over to wrap his arms around Jisung. He could probably pick up on the way Jisung is feeling. Felix always does.

"I'm assuming it's more than just a laundry mishap," adds Hyunjin, moving to Jisung's side so that he's sandwiched between his two cuddly friends. "Seungmin seems really fucking angry. He had that glare in his eyes."

"I got pasta sauce on one of the couch pillows so I freaked out and decided to toss it in the laundry."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," Jisung cries, burying his face in his hands. "And in classic dumbass Jisung fashion, I panicked and tossed it in the fucking washer, poured detergent in, and… well…"

"Oh _no_ ," Hyunjin gasps, pulling away slightly to gape at him with wide eyes. "No, Jisung, you _didn't_!"

"I did! The washer fucking broke, there was detergent _everywhere_ , and of course, the pillow is absolutely ruined." Jisung huffs a breath and takes his friends' hands in his, dragging them to the laundry area to show them the destruction firsthand. He lets go and turns away, unable to bear the sight.

"Oh my God, Han Jisung!" Hyunjin screeches. "It was his fancy pillow too?! The feathers are stuck everywhere! This is a fucking mess, dear God."

"I know! That's why Min is pissed," Jisung whimpers, cheeks puffed out as he remembers the look on Seungmin's face when he saw the mess he made. He really wishes Seungmin had yelled at him like he deserves, but he maintained his silence instead. "Should I really leave it like he said or do I clean up anyway?"

"Leave it," Felix answers. "If you fuck up even more, he's going to serve your head for dinner."

"But wouldn't it be worse if he just left his own mess for Seungmin to clean up? You know how he gets about this!" Hyunjin counters, braving a step closer toward the disarray to examine the damage. "This is a lot to clean up, even for Seungmin."

"We have to weigh our options here," says Felix, following Hyunjin's lead, shaking his head at all the wet feathers and the water staining the floor. "Which would earn a worse reaction—this mess still being here when he gets home or jisung not listening to him when he said to leave it?"

"This is worse than my calculus midterm," Jisung groans. "I feel like I'm going to get my ass beat either way."

After nearly half an hour of deliberation, they choose to clean up. Felix and Hyunjin help Jisung's poor soul, and are pleased to see Seungmin smile at them when he gets home.

Today, they chose well.

— :: ii.

Where there is Seungmin, there is also Jisung. Where there is Jisung, there is also Seungmin.

It’s been like this since they were three—since they met on the first day of kindergarten and Seungmin offered to hold his hand because he couldn’t stop crying by the door to their classroom. Jisung has always been afraid of the unknown, and school at the time was one of those fears. He was clinging to his mother’s leg and wailing about not wanting to go when Seungmin somehow found his way beside him. Jisung looked at the boy, blinded by how bright his smile was, yet comforted by the hand he held out for Jisung to take.

"Together?" young Seungmin asked.

"Okay," young Jisung answered. They walked inside the room with their tiny hands clasped together, the first of a lifetime of being there when they need each other the most.

Seungmin probably never expected that his small act of kindness as a young tike would lead to this.

"I genuinely didn't know," Jisung whined, gaze cast downward as he fiddled with the string of his hoodie. He’s staying out of Seungmin’s way, who’s examining the flood in the kitchen with a blank look on his face. "I’m sorry, Min."

Seungmin is ignoring him, of course. Jisung doesn't expect any differently, especially when this mishap gets in the way of a meticulously planned study schedule that leaves little room for any distractions.

"Go back to studying!" Jisung insists, but Seungmin shrugs off the hand he places on his shoulder. Jisung cowers at the cold response he gets, and his voice quiets as he says, "Don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of the mess. Just study, really. I got this. It's my mess, I'll take care of it."

Seungmin looks back at him with a painfully pointed glare, and Jisung quickly retracts the hand that again attempts to reach out to him. He chews nervously on his bottom lip, moving away when Seungmin turns and walks past him, following him like a little lost duckling. Seungmin takes a deep breath as he hikes his sweatpants up to his knees, and Jisung knows that he's effectively ruined his best friend’s evening. He grimaces as Seungmin steps into the water.

"Really, Min, I can—"

"Han Jisung."

Jisung decides to stay quiet and leave before he angers Seungmin even more, opting to sit in his living room with his schoolwork laid out. He’s hoping it will ease Seungmin’s displeasure to see him studying for a change, but Jisung wouldn't be surprised if he were still upset after the flood has cleared.

It takes Seungmin about an hour to clean up and redo the dishes. When he finishes, he goes into the living room and collapses on the sofa, head on Jisung’s lap as he expels a sigh.

"I’m tired," whispers Seungmin. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Jisung breathes out in relief, Seungmin’s rage seemingly having dissipated in the time it's taken him to fix Jisung’s mess. He smiles when Seungmin does, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders now that Seungmin is feeling a little better.

"I'm sorry," Jisung again says.

This time, Seungmin chuckles at him. "And what have we learned today, Han Jisung? What are we not going to do?"

Jisung pouts at him, meets his gaze as Seungmin narrows his eyes at him. "Fill the little square where detergent goes with dishwashing liquid."

"Why were you even using the dishwasher in the first place? Your mom would be so disappointed."

"It’s faster and it takes a lot less effort!" Jisung whines, still pouting. Seungmin laughs and reaches up to tap the tip of his nose. "I was thinking I could leave it running while getting ready for our study date, you know?”

Seungmin arches an eyebrow at him. “We had a study date?”

“Okay, to get ready for you studying and me slacking off,” Jisung corrects himself, and he feels his heart flip when Seungmin smiles at him. “They really should put instructions on that contraption. How was I supposed to know there's special soap for dishwashers?”

“They’re drying racks, Ji.” Seungmin clicks his tongue in clear disapproval. “I am _so_ telling your mom about this.”

“Don’t you dare!” Jisung warns, squishing Seungmin’s cheeks between his palms. “You wouldn't.”

Seungmin raises an eyebrow at him once more. “Are you sure about that?”

Jisung pauses, lets a beat pass before resigning with an exhale. “You would,” he says. “You totally would. God, I can already see her face—the look of utter dismay at the sin I’ve just committed.”

Seungmin hums. “You may be able to convince me to keep my silence, though. I do accept bribes.”

“I’m listening.”

“Food and a sleepover.”

Jisung pretends to consider it, acts as if he wouldn't already do anything for Seungmin regardless. Seungmin looks up at him, still resting on his lap, expectant as he reaches to poke Jisung’s cheek. The small gesture melts him, leaves him as a bigger puddle than the mess he created earlier that day. He laughs, then Seungmin does.

Neither of them get any studying done after that.

— :: iii.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, Hannie?” Felix, understandably reluctant, asks as Jisung shows them what he has planned for the day. “This is—I don't even have the words to express myself.”

“Don’t be a buzzkill, Lix,” calls Hyunjin, who is already getting into costume. Jisung might be imagining things, but he swears he can pick up on some tension between them. “This is going to be so fun! Seungmin is going to turn so fucking red, and I’m so fucking ready to see it!”

“Hold on—why are _you_ Ice Bear?” Felix whines, hands on his hips. He’s glaring. Jisung is definitely _not_ imagining things.

“Blond.” Hyunjin points at his head with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Felix rolls his eyes and points at his own head. “Platinum blond.”

“Does it matter?” Jisung interrupts. “They’re cartoon bears. This is all for Seungmin anyway.”

“It matters!” They both shout, which Jisung flinches at before huffing out loud.

“Someone want to tell me what's going on?” Jisung asks. “You’re hostile over a _costume_. It’s not even a well-made costume; they look nothing like We Bare Bears. They look like any other generic bear costume.”

“Maybe if Hyunjin stopped acting like a child,” Felix mutters under his breath, though Jisung thinks he means for them both to hear. He’s staring directly at Hyunjin, who is busying himself with smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in his costume. “I don't even know why he's mad.”

“That’s the whole point, isn't it?” Hyunjin chuckles. His smile disappears as soon as he faces Felix. Felix rubs at his temples and frowns so deeply it could rival Seungmin’s look of disapproval whenever Jisung does something crazy.

“That makes absolutely no sense!” Felix cries out, but Hyunjin has turned his attention back to Jisung and his amazing plan.

“So, why exactly are we doing this again?” Hyunjin asks as he cradles the mascot head in his arms. “You know he’s going to kill you, right? Do you even have permission from his professor?”

“Give me more credit than that,” Jisung scoffs. “Of course I do! I worked so hard! I hunted his schedule down, figured out which professors are more likely to agree, begged them to let me do this event! But it’s all worth it for Minnie!”

“You literally just asked Chan hyung since he’s Seungmin’s TA, fool,” Felix snorts. “Nice story, though!”

“Buzzkill!” Jisung grabs a throw pillow and sends it Felix’s way, making both him and Hyunjin laugh. “Just put on the damn panda costume.”

“I still should’ve been Ice Bear.” Felix pouts as he slips into costume.

“Will you let it go?” Hyunjin snaps.

Felix sticks his tongue out at him. Jisung had to suppress another laugh at how silly they’re acting.

“And I’m the child?”

“Always!”

They don't stop grumbling and bickering with each other until right before they’re about to begin.

It’s a huge success from the moment they burst through the door. Jisung leads as Grizz, calling out for Seungmin, who looks horrified as he sits frozen right in the front of the room. Color drains from his face before it's replaced with noticeable red, eyes wide as the three bears start harmonizing his name right in front of him.

Cameras are out—even Chan’s as he takes a break from teaching—recording the personalized serenade that Jisung carefully composed and wrote himself. It’s a simple song adapted from one of his old high school projects, one that he knows Seungmin would surely recognize. Back then, Jisung played it for him over and over again until it was time to submit.. The lyrics have changed, adjusted to reflect more of the present, but in essence still a song about Kim Seungmin and how much Jisung loves his butt. Of course, he has the liberty of being more explicit now that the song isn't for a grade, though he kept some of the euphemisms and metaphors in there for the nostalgia of it all.

 _I'm going to kill you_ , Seungmin mouths at him. He doesn't know why, but it makes Jisung want to be even more obnoxious about the entire thing. So that is exactly what he does—singing at the top of his lungs, thankful that Felix and Hyunjin are more than willing to follow his lead. They seem to have made up already, playing with each other while singing with him—louder, more dramatic, interacting with the crowd that’s thankfully enjoying the show.

Their perfectly timed performance ends when their class period does, and Seungmin is first to rush out the door, dragging Jisung along with him. They walk briskly toward a less populated corridor, stopping only once they’re alone. Seungmin is still flushed rose, gripping tightly onto his hand.

“Min, it hurts,” Jisung whines, failing to wriggle out of Seungmin’s grasp. “I’m fragile, go easy on me.”

“I cannot believe you used _that_ song,” Seungmin breathes out. “And why the fuck are you in bear costumes?! Were you guys supposed to be We Bare Bears?!”

Jisung pulls the bear head off and holds it under his arm. “Listen, the branded stuff is expensive so I went with generic bear costumes. You can still tell, though!”

“Oh my God.”

“How was it?” Jisung grinned.

“You’re insufferable. Fucking hell. Of all the songs in the world, you really went with—"

"Listen," Jisung interrupts, very pleased with himself, especially when Seungmin is _still_ red and blushing. He always looks cute like this, and he hopes Chan got a good close-up of Seungmin throughout that ordeal. "This is a special song. I got a good grade because of this song."

"Was it necessary to change the lyrics?" Seungmin sighs, resigned. "The vague version would have been more than enough to achieve your goal."

"Where's the fun in that? We're in uni, my dearest best friend! Now is the time to go wild! Besides, Felix stopped me from making it _too_ explicit so you should thank him for that. Maybe once he and Hyunjin get their shit together."

Seungmin raises an eyebrow at him. "Those two are still arguing? They seemed to be fine while embarrassing the shit out of me."

"Embarrassing you brings people together."

Seungmin deadpans as he throws a weak punch to Jisung's shoulder. Jisung groans and exaggerates as he pretends to be in pain. "I can't stand you," Seungmin says. "I hate all of you."

Jisung chuckles as he straightens up. "We know," he says, slinging an arm around Seungmin's shoulder. "Let's go find those two and grab food with Chan hyung. I want to see the video."

"Fuck you."

"Thank you!"

— :: iv.

"You're absolutely insane for this, Han Jisung," says Minho, who stares at him with an amused smile as Jeongin stares blankly at Jisung.

Jisung is on his apartment floor, grinning as he determines how to properly wrap the gift he acquired for Seungmin on one of the unusual days where he actually decides to leave his bed. Mischief took over him as soon as he saw the dakimakura in the display window, and rushed inside the store to choose the best one to get his dear friend. The dakimakura itself is one thing, but Jisung wanted to get the most ridiculous cover he could possibly find.

"He’s going to kill you," says Jeongin plainly, arms folded against his chest as he regards the tall pillow lying on top of wrapping paper that is definitely much too small. "He will actually wring your neck. You will die. Goodbye, hyung."

"He won't!" dismisses Jisung, with a wave of his hand. "He’s going to love it! He’s always wanted a body pillow, and this one is one of the best!"

"Not with _that_ fucking cover," Minho snorts, shaking his head. He bends down to pick the pillow up, and it's almost as tall as he is. "Who even is this?"

"No idea," Jisung admits with a cheeky grin. "I just asked for their most popular one, and they gave me that. Don’t worry, I asked Hyunjin to sew a couple of solid-colored covers to switch this out with. I know he's going to toss the waifu cover away, but it's nice for the surprise factor."

"He’s going to fucking murder you," Jeongin repeats. He grimaces when Minho hugs the pillow and hums, seemingly scandalized by the gesture. "Hyung, what the fuck?"

"What?" Minho asks with a slight tilt of his head. "Dakimakuras are comfortable! It’s actually a wonderful gift. The cover is definitely going to annoy Seungmin, but at least he'll be able to use the pillow."

"See, only Minho hyung understands me!"

"I still think you’re insane for that cover, though." Minho stops him as Jisung lurches forward to hug him. "Please record his reaction. I want to see him kick your ass."

"It's very frightening when you say things like that while smiling so sweetly at me." Jisung shudders, and he does so again when he sees the loving sparkle in Jeongin’s eyes as he looks at Minho. "Jeongin enjoying that is also frightening. You’re both frightening."

"You’re just scared of literally everything." It’s Jeongin who now smiles sweetly at him, and like this, Jisung can understand why these two started dating. They truly deserve each other.

"Can you please just help me wrap this?" Jisung says instead of responding to Jeongin’s statement.

"Why wrap it?" asks Minho, handing the pillow back to him. "Wouldn't it be more fun if you just ran into his house and screamed ‘Min, I have your waifu!’ while holding it out in plain sight? His brother’s going to be so amused, and Seungmin will murder you."

Jisung looks at Minho with eyes filled with awe and wonder, moved by the genius Minho possesses when it comes things like this. Minho pats his head with a smug smile, and Jisung clasps his hand over Minho's before saying, "Hyung, you're a fucking genius."

"Of course I am," Minho says with a grin. "I've had plenty of time to figure out the best ways to embarrass all of you. I'm more than happy to share my amazing ideas."

"Wear a body cam," urges Jeongin. "I desperately want to see how this plays out. I'll even provide the body cam for you!"

"I'll think about it."

Jisung puts his plan in motion on the second day of Thanksgiving break, when it's usually just Seungmin and his brother hanging out in their living room.

In retrospect, he should have made sure that it was _just_ Seungmin and his brother hanging out in their living room.

Because as soon as he bursts inside their house, Jisung comes to the unfortunate realization that Seungmin's entire family is home, and that they are now gaping and very obviously scandalized by the dakimakura he brings with him.

He's starting to think he should have went with his original plan of wrapping it and just recording Seungmin's reaction as he unwrapped the present.

Seungmin looks as horrified as the rest of his family; only his brother bursts out laughing, taking his phone out to take pictures of the obscene pillow Jisung is now desperately trying to hide behind him.

It's no use—the dakimakura is too big to conceal, and the damage has already been done. It doesn't help that he actually _did_ yell out "Your waifu is here, Seungmin!" when he entered, drawing all the attention to him even more.

"Pleasure to see you again, Jisungie," Mr. Kim greets awkwardly, ears colored red—whether from embarrassment or anger, Jisung doesn't care much to find out. Seungmin's family has always leaned traditional.

"N-nice to see you again, _abeonim_ ," Jisung stammers. His face feels like it's about to burn off, but he forces himself to maintain eye contact as he speaks. From his peripheral, he can see Mrs. Kim still gaping at the dakimakura behind him and Seungmin with his face buried in his palms.

"Is that a gift for Seungmin?"

Jisung chuckles nervously. "Ah, yeah, it is. It's just a little thing I picked up from the mall. Something, err, whimsical for him."

"I didn't think 2D women were your type, Seungmin." Mr. Kim forces a smile as he looks over at his son. "Very interesting information, son."

Seungmin's brother cackles so loudly that it startles his mom.

Seungmin stares impassively at his father. "I'm _gay_ , dad. I don't like women—2D or otherwise."

Seungmin's brother wheezes as Mrs. Kim finally cracks a smile. Jisung kind of wants to die, and Seungmin looks like he's very much ready to fulfill that wish.

The only silver lining is that he didn't take Jeongin up on his body cam offer. This is definitely not something he would want any video evidence of.

— :: v.

He’s done it. He’s absolutely done it this time. This is it. Jisung knows it.

He paces back and forth as he chews on his nails, preparing for his own demise at the hands of his best friend. He knows it’s going to happen—there’s no doubt about it. His only dilemma is whether or not to prolong it.

His phone buzzes and Changbin’s name pops up on the screen, a message to let him know that Seungmin is on his way home. It’s meant to be a surprise—a small event to distract Seungmin from the stresses of college life. He supposes it will still do its purpose, just not in the way Jisung had intended.

He’s going to die.

He gathers up his courage and gives Seungmin a call, anxious as he counts the rings. When he hears a click and Seungmin’s voice on the receiver, he releases a shaky breath.

“Oh no,” Seungmin quickly exclaims. Of course he could tell when Jisung has something bad to say. Of course.

“How good of a mood are you in right now?”

A pause. Seungmin sighs on the other line. “What did you do?”

“I don’t recommend going home right now.” Jisung laughs nervously, already dreading what’s to come. “Like at all. Please don’t come home right now. Don’t come home tonight! Come home tomorrow instead!”

“Han Jisung, I am five minutes away from my apartment. Are you going to tell me what you did now or wait until I see it for myself?”

Jisung gulps. It's a volatile situation—one that has no clear answer or best case scenario. Seungmin will be enraged regardless of what he chooses to do. So he decides to tell him. Maybe the walk would somewhat cool him down and dissipate his anger even just a tiny bit.

“So, uh, the fire department is here and—”

Jisung doesn't get to finish his sentence. The line clicks dead, and he braces himself for Seungmin’s arrival.

Jisung sends a quick text to Felix saying, _min’s about to kill me pls submit my hw for me tomorrow_.

“Hey, Min,” Jisung greets as Seungmin appears at the end of the hall. The smoke makes him look even more frightening than he already does. “So, they suggest waiting out here until they—”

“Leave.”

“No, I’ll wait here with you! Don’t worry about a thing, it’s—”

“For fuck’s sake, Jisung!” Jisung flinches at Seungmin’s sharp tone and raised voice. He glowers at him, jaw tight, eyes filled with so much fury that Jisung has never really seen before.

Jisung falls silent, and Seungmin rubs at his temples.

“Just leave,” Seungmin breathes out. “Fucking go already. I’m tired of always having to clean up your fucking messes. I’m tired of having to deal with all the stupid shit you do on the daily. I’m tired! How many years have I been putting up with this shit? Stop it already!”

Oh. _Oh._ It stings.

“Right,” Jisung whispers, keeping his head down. “I’m sorry, Seungmin. I really am. I don't mean to always bother you with things; I just—I’m sorry. I’ll stop. You’re right, you shouldn’t have to always be cleaning my fuck ups.”

“Jisung, it’s not like that—”

“No, you're right.” Jisung smiles at him, doing his best to meet Seungmin’s gaze. “I do too much, and it never works out. Even when I try my best, I just end up inconveniencing you. I’m sorry.”

“Ji—”

“I’ll go,” he quickly says, ignoring the way his heart clenches in his chest. “Sorry. You can stay at my place if you need to. I’ll stay at my parents’ for the meantime. I’m sorry, Min. I really am.”

Jisung runs off before more can be said, frustrated by how many times he’s fucked up on the simplest of things. Every single time, Seungmin has been there to save him. Even when he's busy. Even when he's stressed. Even when he should be focusing on everything but Jisung’s failures.

It doesn't matter what his intentions are—Jisung only ends up being a nuisance to Seungmin, an added stress he doesn't need nor deserve.

Jisung decides that today is when he stops. He will focus on staying out of Seungmin’s way, on being self-sufficient, on not making mistakes that bring his best friend trouble.

No more of that, he decides. Seungmin deserves better than that.

— :: + i.

Not that he would ever admit it, but Seungmin has begun counting the days since Jisung's last crazy idea. Toward him, at least. Jisung still actively thinks up things for the rest of their friend group, but none toward Seungmin. It's not like he misses them or anything—not at all. Seungmin is thankful for the peace and quiet, for the time he has to focus on what truly matters.

Except he does miss them—he misses _Jisung_. And Seungmin is starting to think that what truly matters isn't a _what_ , but is actually a _who_.

"He's not mad at you or anything, if that's what you're worried about." Felix says one afternoon. He and Hyunjin are at Seungmin's for a study group, though their material has long been neglected on the coffee table. As soon as Hyunjin asks about Jisung, homework ceased to exist.

"No, it's not that," Seungmin sighs, twirling a pen idly between his fingers. "I'm just—it's the first time I've ever snapped at him, you know? He's seen me angry before but never at him. I don't know how to face him."

"Min, here's an idea," Hyunjin hums, snatching the pen away from his grasp. "How about you apologize to him? Like Lix said—it's not like he's angry. He's just sad that he fucked up again, you know? He does a lot of this to make you laugh or distract you because of how stressed you've been lately, so it's only natural he'd upset that he adds to that stress instead of relieves it."

Seungmin knows this. He's painfully aware. Seungmin always thinks _after_ an outburst, and this time, he finds himself thinking of all the other times Jisung has wreaked havoc. It's his own way of taking care of Seungmin—of keeping his mind off things that Jisung knows would keep him up at night.

"What an idiot," Seungmin mutters under his breath. "He's doing so much unnecessary shit when all he really needs to do is be there and hold me. Why doesn't he know that him being with me is more than enough?"

Felix and Hyunjin exchange meaningful looks.

"What?" asks Seungmin.

"Maybe because you haven't told him?" offers Felix.

"Have you ever even told him you love him?" adds Hyunjin.

 _What_. Seungmin blinks, lets their words roll around in his head. Love. He's said it before, hasn't he? They've been best friends for most of their lives—surely he's said it at least once before. Right?

Love. _Love_. Seungmin fixates on the word, whispers it to himself before looking back towards his friends. "You guys say it to each other a lot, right?"

"Err, yeah? But do you love Jisung the way Felix and I love each other?"

Seungmin gapes at them. " _What?!_ "

"Good God, do you ever pay attention when we talk about shit?" Hyunjin sighs, shaking his head. "Of course not—all that's in your head is studying and Jisung. Honestly, that question was stupid. Of course you do. It's obvious to everyone except you and Jisung!"

Seungmin slumps, eyes unblinking as he stares at his untouched notebook. His thoughts run wild, goes in every which direction, screaming and yelling at him as the realizations dawn on him one by one then all at once.

"Jin, you broke him," he hears Felix whisper.

"Listen, sometimes people need that little push towards enlightenment."

"Hey guys, it's your boy Felix here! Seungmin is about to do something really stupid for Jisung!"

Felix pans the camera over to where Hyunjin and Seungmin are standing. Hyunjin waves a peace sign at the camera, while Seungmin looks like he's two seconds away from running as fast as he can.

"I change my mind. I'm not doing this," Seungmin says, pale in the face. "This is so fucking stupid, oh my God."

"That's kind of the point," Hyunjin points out. "He does stupid shit for you all the time, so it's your turn. Symbolism or something. Whatever, it's romantic!"

"This is shit _you_ would do," Seungmin mumbles. "Fuck it. Fuck! I'm doing it. This is the least I can do. I think. Fuck it!"

"That's the spirit!" Hyunjin cheers. "We're right here supporting you, don't worry!"

"I'm going to throw up."

The three of them walk, Seungmin trailing a little behind as he mutters self-encouragement to himself. This is completely out of his comfort zone, but he's willing to do it if only to bring a smile to Jisung's face. Anything for Jisung.

"Are you ready?" Hyunjin asks.

He's not, but Seungmin nods anyway.

So here they are in front of Jisung's house with an old boombox they borrowed from the music department, blasting Whitney Houston's _I Will Always Love You_ a la Say Anything while monologuing about his feelings.

Then someone yells from inside the house. A faint ' _who's there?!_ ' that sends chills down all three of their spines.

"Fuck, he's not home!" Hyunjin yells, grabbing the boombox and tugging Seungmin along to run away.

Felix follows after him, high pitched laughter echoing in the empty neighborhood. "Oh my God!"

"Fuck you, I _told_ you we should have called first!" Seungmin screams as they keep running.

Felix holds the camera in front of him as he runs, recording all three of them with panic in Seungmin's eyes. "There you have it, everyone!" Felix tells the camera. "The one time Seungmin does something stupid for Jisung, and he's not even home to see it."

"Fuck you, Felix!" Seungmin shouts.

"That's _my_ job!" Hyunjin shouts back.

— :: bonus.

"Don't."

"I'm not saying anything!" Jisung grins at him, batting his eyelashes.

"I mean it, Ji, don't—"

"You love me," Jisung says. "You actually love me."

"I never said that," Seungmin looks away, and Jisung finds the flush on his face absolutely adorable. "No, I di—it's just the song!"

"A song saying you will always love me," he hums. "Although I don't appreciate the implications that you're leaving me and saying goodbye."

"That's not—it's just a fucking song, Jisung." Seungmin insists, though the way he avoids looking at Jisung makes him incredibly obvious. "I fucking hate Felix for showing you that video."

"Really? I figured you'd be mad at him for uploading it online."

"He _what_?"

Seungmin stares in horror as Jisung shows him the Twitter video that Felix decided to caption with #SayYesToSeungmin, a hashtag that has apparently been trending since its upload.

"What the fuck is this?!"Seungmin scoffs. "Say yes to _what_?! I didn't ask anything! What the fu—"

"I think they want me to say yes to you asking me out," Jisung singsongs. Teasing Seungmin is so fun, especially when he's as red as he is. It's a different kind of blush—one he's never seen before, and he adores it.

"I didn't ask you out!"

Jisung pouts. "So no date?"

"I— Huh?"

"I want to go on a date with you though," Jisung says, still pouting.

"Maybe if you responded to my confession," Seungmin whispers, fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie. His face feels like it's about to burn off, but he bears it.

"So you _do_ love me!"

"Well duh, you idiot!" Seungmin yells, burying his face in his hands. "Why else would I do something like that? I love you! I fucking love you and your stupid ass! I'm in love with you, Han Jisung! Fucking stupid ass idi—"

"Min."

Seungmin slowly raises his head, wary as he meets Jisung's gaze. Jisung looks at him with all the fondness in the world, eyes glimmering with so much affection that it's almost overwhelming. As uncomfortable as it is for Seungmin to be open with his feelings, looking into Jisung's eyes makes him feel brave.

"I love you, Jisung," he says after a deep breath.

Jisung beams at him, smile so much brighter than any he's seen before. It's because of this smile that Seungmin feels that all is worth it. It's because of this smile that Seungmin forgets his own embarrassment and he smiles back at Jisung, just as fond, just as adoring. He smiles back at Jisung, very much in love.

Jisung answers his confession, not with words but with action. He takes Seungmin's face in his hands, looks deeply into his eyes, thumbs brushing against his cheekbones. Seungmin doesn't need him to say it back—not when Jisung _shows_ him, when Jisung leans in and presses his lips against Seungmin's.

Jisung has always been a man of action—a man who shows rather than tells. All throughout his life, his attempts to show Seungmin his affections have been flawed— good intentions hindered by poor execution and unfortunate timing. But now as they kiss, as his lips convey all the emotions he's kept unspoken all this time, Jisung finds comfort in knowing this is the one thing he _knows_ would always tell Seungmin what he wants to say.

When they break away, Seungmin asks, "So is that a yes?"

Jisung chuckles and pecks his lips once more. "I thought you didn't ask a question."

"I'm asking now," Seungmin says shyly, cheeks dusted with faint rose.

The goofy smile on his face is enough of an answer, but Jisung says it anyway:

"Yes."

**Author's Note:**

> — [twitter](https://twitter.com/minbinjins)  
> — [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/minbinjins)


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